A/N: Thanks once again for some lovely reviews, I really appreciate them. I've made this chapter a little longer as a kind of 'thank-you'. I hope you like it.
I will go down with this ship, and I won't put my hands up and surrender
Edward and I didn't speak for the rest of that day. Part of me was glad; I knew I'd only get choked up about it. But another part of me was screaming out for his attention. I had English fourth period with him and I was expecting some sort of apology from him. True, he'd apologised once, but he'd also seen me running out of the school gates, evidently upset. His nonchalant attitude stunned me; I didn't think he was the type to let someone hurt over him. But then I realised- as far as he was concerned, I cared no more for him than as a friend and I had no reason to be upset about his relationship with Lauren. The witch was in that class with us, but sat at the front of the room, whereas we were sat in either corner of the back. I heard her incredibly nasal voice as I took my seat.
"Jess, I'm telling you, it was amazing!" She gushed as Jessica's face became more and more sour. She continued with her burbling account of her morning and only stopped when Edward entered. He was a few minutes late, so the whole class watched as he strode gracefully through the door, almost as tall as the frame. He smiled at Lauren as he passed and she winked at him, flipping her long wiry hair over her shoulder. Her legs were crossed so that her almost none-existent skirt became even more buried under her tanned, lean thigh. Her fuchsia shirt had three buttons undone, destroying the entire point of wearing a shirt in the first place. I gave Edward his due though; his eyes never strayed farther than her face- they were literally the only pair that didn't. He continued the walk to the back of the classroom where he stared at me in angst before taking his seat. The lecture was about techniques used in the novel Of Mice and Men. I'd read the book over and over again, so I didn't feel all too inclined to listen. Instead, I watched Lauren Mallory.
She'd joined Forks High School two years ago and had been a subject of fascination ever since. I envied her like the others at first. A good analogy for Lauren living in Forks was a tropical princess taking refuge in a bike shed; completely unbelievable and backwards. She wasn't fantastically pretty. She had a long, pointed nose and squinty grey eyes, but I doubted very much that it was her face that people went for. She was about 5'8" with legs that probably reached my chest (I couldn't know for certain because I'd never stood close enough to find out) and boobs that didn't match her frame at all. She was toned, bronzed and pouty- the essential make-up of a stuck-up pageant queen. She'd actually competed in seven pageants, according to Jessica, before she'd even turned 13 and won four of them (though she couldn't seem to remember which ones). Lauren Mallory, to put it simply, was the natural arch enemy of a person like me. I was paler than anyone else I knew in Forks, with the exception of Edward and Alice. My hair was thick, long and dull brown. There wasn't even a colour that could describe my eyes other than peat-bog brown. I was merely average height with no stand-out features. I was plain. I scolded myself silently for considering that Edward and I were well suited as even friends. How could someone as exquisitely magnificent as Edward Cullen stand to be associated with someone as unattractively ordinary as me?
I was still wrapped up in Lauren's appealing features when Mrs Elsender called on me for an answer.
"Er ... sorry?" I stammered. I heard a few giggles from the front of the class and I blushed.
"I asked you what the rocks at the beginning of the story could symbolise?" I shot a darting glance at Lauren's face; she was revelling in my embarrassment. I clenched my jaw a little smugly; I knew Of Mice and Men like the back of my hand.
"Well, they could represent gravestones, which signify the death which comes at the end of the story. But I thought that when George visits the field again, to shoot Lenny, they could stand for Lenny's soul. It's like he's not leaving the place where he heard his favourite stories; he'll always be in the place where he was peaceful, happy". I'd taken it upon myself to annotate my own copy of the book at home for when we would study it in class. Seeing Lauren's face contort into fury as I didn't humiliate myself was worth the hours. Mrs Elsender clapped appreciateivly.
"I don't think I've ever had such a well articulated answer as that, Bella. Well done! Now, Miss Mallory- what's your opinion on the rocks?" Lauren flipped her hair.
"Well, I think they could be, like, rabbits ... Lenny likes rabbits, right?" Mrs Elsender looked at her in disbelief.
"Get out of my classroom, Miss Mallory. You are the most ridiculous girl I have ever met. If the best answer you can give me on a book we've been studying for almost three weeks is that the rocks could be rabbits, then I think you need to repeat third grade!" Lauren's nostrils flared and her mouth hung open. Several people tittered. Eventually, she composed herself, muttered something about 'pathetic children' and left the room. I smiled faintly; Lauren's expression was priceless. My smugness faded abruptly as Edward raised his hand and asked to be excused. Mrs Elsender allowed him and he left swiftly. The remainder of the hour dragged sluggishly and when the bell finally went, I leapt from my seat and left for the cafeteria.
I normally sat with Angela Weber at dinnertime but she asked too many questions so I decided to sit at a separate table. She glanced at me with hurt staining her eyes but I didn't have the patience to explain to her. I poked at my jacket potato absentmindedly, mulling over the day. A tray suddenly slid opposite mine and I looked up to see Edward's hard, composed face. I returned to my dinner, paying him no more attention than was necessary.
"Hello," he said quietly, sitting down. I nodded once. "Will you let me explain things to you, or will you continue to ignore me throughout?" I saw his eyes were fixed on me; they were filled with anguish.
"You don't need to explain," I grumbled, starting to stand. His long fingers clasped around my wrist like a manacle, quite tightly. I gave a small gasp and sat back down hastily.
"Yes, Bella, I do". His voice was soft, gentle. My eyes traced the forms of his chest rather than meeting his gaze. "I have a lot to apologise for. First of all, for lying to you this morning". I nodded slightly.
"I get it, its fine". He sighed exasperatedly.
"Bella, stop saying that its fine. It isn't fine because I had no reason or right to lie blatantly to you. I treated you like you were an idiot, expecting you not to guess the truth. Second of all, I have to apologise for keeping my ... relationship ... with Lauren a secret from you". His face pulled into a disgusted grimace.
"Please, Edward. You don't need to do this. Like I said, it has nothing to do with me". He stared at me in disbelief.
"Bella, I care for you a hell of a lot and I'm not going to let this go". My heart fluttered erratically at his words. "When we had that talk in the car that day ... you know when I mean?"
"Yes," I mumbled.
"Well I meant everything I said. Everything about Lauren, I meant and I still mean. She's spoilt, selfish, conceited and more materialistic than I can possibly describe to you. I went to find her that day to end things with her and I swear to you that I was prepared to do anything to distance myself from her. But I found her, crying on the phone. I asked her what was the matter and she told me that her mum had found a lump..." He trailed off sadly. A lump came in my throat. Cancer was a touchy subject for me. My Grandma had died from cancer of the throat when I was fifteen, so remorse overwhelmed me. Edward knew it would be hard for me to talk about, so he didn't finish. "I think you know why I couldn't finish with her there and then".
"Yes, and like I said, I don't blame you or expect you to".
"I expect myself to Bella. I admit that a part of me did want to be with her because the shallow part of me likes it. But I saw how she was being with you in English and I realised I had to do something". My potato lay cold and forgotten on my plate.
"So, you dumped her?" I asked tentatively.
"Yes". My heart thumped. The blush from earlier returned to his cheeks. His eyes flitted about the cafeteria for a moment until they finally rested on my face. "I need to ask you something, Bella. I know I've been an absolute idiot today, I've treated you like crap and you don't deserve it. But I'd like very much to go out with you," he said quietly. It was my turn to blush. My eyes dropped to my lap and my pulse raced. I didn't know what to say at all. Edward Cullen was asking me out ... I think. I bit my lower lip and tried to compose myself. I muttered a few incomprehensible things and after a few more, Edward simply took my chin in his cool hand and kissed me. I'd had kisses before, from boys who now seemed so immature to me. But they were nothing compared to this. My lips moved against his and he pressed closer to me. My hands wrapped around his neck instinctively, holding him there; his closed around my waist in turn. His tongue traced against my lips and I parted them slightly. I'd forgotten that we were in a crowded cafeteria until the chatter became absolute silence. I stopped kissing him and pushed his chest softly; he misinterpreted and leaned in closer. I pushed harder and he pulled away, slightly breathless and flushed. But there was a gleam in his eye, excitement and raging desire- I knew that they mirrored my own. It hit him that our surroundings were not at all secluded. He glanced round at the same time I did. Lauren's piggy eyes were narrowed at us. Her chin was jutting out and you could see the vein throbbing in her forehead. She called to us from across the room.
"Well well well, Edward Cullen. Never thought I'd see the day when you began scraping the barrel. It's fine though- you have your little fun with her and then come crawling back to me when she insists you stay on first base". She barked a laugh and strutted from the room. Chatter began to fill the rook again. Edward took my face in his hand once more.
"Ignore her," he murmured and began kissing me again. Lauren Mallory could have speared me with a javelin and I don't think I'd have noticed.
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